APPLYING SOCIOLOGY
Who’s Minding the Kids?
Traditionally, the task of providing daily care for young children fell to mothers. But with a majority of mothers and fathers now in the labor force, finding quality, affordable child care is a high priority for parents.
The figure shows how U. S. children under age five receive care while their mothers work. Most often-in 33 percent of all cases-the child remains at home with the father or another relative. An additional 31 percent of children receive care in another person's home, with relatives, neighbors, or friends looking after them. A small share of children accompany their mothers to work. The remaining 29 percent of children with working mothers attend day care or preschool. The proportion in day-care centers has doubled over the last decade because many parents cannot find in-home care for their children.
Some day-care centers are so big that they amount to "tot lots" where parents "park" their children for the day. The impersonality of such settings and the rapid turnover in staff prevent the warm and consistent nurturing that young children need in order to develop a sense of trust. Other child-care centers, however, offer a secure and healthful environment. Research suggests that good care centers are good for children; bad facilities are not.
Source: U. S. Census Bureau (1997).
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